AZ “Guns Save Lives” censorship case heard today

This morning, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, at 9:30 a.m., the Arizona Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear the case Korwin v. Cotton — a three-year legal battle more often referred to as the ‘Bus Shelter Ads case.’ The First Amendment free speech aspect of this legal matter has brought together two usually divergent groups, the Goldwater Institute and the ACLU/AZ, which filed an Amicus Curiae brief.

Alan Korwin is a widely read author and recognized expert on America’s gun laws. Debbie Cotton is the director of the Phoenix Public Transit Department who claimed the ads didn’t promote a commercial transaction as required by city policy

This decision could have wide-ranging implications for free speech in Arizona, as well as whether advertisers should be limited in what issues they are able to address on city property.

In this FOX 10 News report Korwin explains how his bus bench signs that read “Guns Save Lives,” advertising his company’s website TrainMeAz.com were taken down at 50 Valley sites by the City of Phoenix. Ultimately, the city allowed altered ads stating “Guns Stop Crime.”

Background on this important case, all of the legal documents and the timeline can be seen here on the Goldwater Institute’s website.

Thank God for people like Alan Korwin. In essence, he is sending a wake-up call to an increasingly complacent citizenry. This is an issue that should have a majority of Americans (not only in Maricopa County but the entire country) who agree with Korwin. We’ll see how this plays out.